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With soccer and baseball teams in first place, a basketball team coming off an historic run and its beloved hockey club undergoing a promising overhaul, today’s Toronto pro sports scene is looking decidedly un-Toronto.

The city’s recent sporting success includes:

Toronto FC atop Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history, after earning its first playoff berth last season.

The Blue Jays leading the American League East, a year after making the post-season for the first time in two decades.

The Raptors reaching the Eastern Conference final last season, the furthest the NBA team has gone in the playoffs.

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The Maple Leafs rewarded for finishing with the worst record in the NHL by drafting Auston Matthews first overall, joining a promising young core.

Together, this makes for the second-greatest time ever to be a Toronto sports fan, according to author and professor Bill Humber, an expert in Canadian sports history who teaches out of Seneca College.

“We’re seeing a collective achievement in the basketball, soccer and baseball. It’s a perfect storm of fan delight given how many years we’ve had of underperformance by so many teams,” Humber said.

“Even with the Leafs. It’s ironic that they should be so positively looked upon when they had the poorest performance in the league last year, but even that has its positive side, being able to sign Auston Matthews and then suddenly taking the long-term perspective on their prospects.”

The only period in Toronto sports history that bests the city’s current athletic climate, Humber believes, is the post-World War II era when the Maple Leafs and the Argonauts won five Stanley Cups and Grey Cups between 1945 and 1952.

He points to the Leafs in the 1960s and the Blue Jays in the late 1980s and early 1990s as other periods where a team has been dominant, but the success wasn’t shared by the city’s other franchises.

And even in those glory days of Toronto sports, a title was much easier to grasp than it is today, Humber adds.

He remembers watching the Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1967, during the Original Six era, and wondering how many more times he would see Toronto achieve that feat in his lifetime. The answer? None, so far.

The success of Toronto’s sports franchises is not lost on fans.

“I can’t remember a time, except maybe in the early ’90s, when fans of all Toronto sports teams had something positive and optimistic that they could grab onto,” said Clint Thomas, who worked in sports broadcasting for two decades and runs the blog deep6ixsports.

The early ’90s included the Jays winning back-to-back World Series, two straight conference final appearances by the Leafs, and the Argos winning the Grey Cup in 1991.

Holding on to that optimism affects more than just sports fans’ moods, Thomas says.

“I think it changes the psyche of the city a little bit. Everybody likes to think that their city is a great place to be, and part of that is having a competitive sporting environment with competitive teams.”

The overlap of successful seasons also helps. There were only four days between the end of the Blue Jays’ playoff run and the start of the Raptors season last October. A day later, Toronto FC played its first-ever MLS playoff game.

“There hasn’t been any down time for a Toronto sports fan,” said fan Jason Miller, who has followed all of the city’s teams since moving to Toronto about 20 years ago.

But Miller and fellow fan Matt Banks believe this honeymoon period can only last so long.

“This is it. This is the time for Toronto. One of these teams has to win something major in the next couple of years,” Banks said. “There’s no better time, where these teams have been stronger, than right now.”

“I think the message is: revel in it while it’s here, but its greatness will be determined by championships.”

The sports hype is palpable in The Six right now, with Toronto’s NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS franchises all flourishing. Is there a better metropolis to catch all four leagues in right now? We took an unscientific look at fan satisfaction in the best way we know how, with a score out of five foam fingers:

TORONTO

Maple Leafs (29-53): Missed the playoffs.

Raptors (56-26): Lost to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference final.

Blue Jays (71-55*): Atop the American League East.

TFC (12-7-7): First in the Eastern Conference.

Satisfaction index: 4 foam fingers

In short: You know it’s the best time in recent memory to be a Toronto sports fan when even Toronto Maple Leafs supporters are feeling optimistic, even after finishing last. If all goes well, the city could win a World Series and an MLS Cup by year’s end.

NEW YORK

Rangers (46-27-9): Lost to Pittsburgh in the first round.

Islanders (45-27-10): Lost to Tampa Bay in the second round.

Knicks (32-50): Missed the playoffs.

Nets (21-61): Missed the playoffs.

Yankees (65-61): Fourth in the AL East.

Mets (63-63*): Third in the NL East.

NYC FC (11-7-8): Second in the Eastern Conference.

Satisfaction index: 2 foam fingers

In short: Both hockey teams made the playoffs, but the beloved Bronx Bombers haven’t won a World Series since 2009.

PHILADELPHIA

Flyers (41-27-14): Lost to Washington in the first round.

76ers (10-72): Missed the playoffs.

Phillies (59-68): Fourth in the NL East.

Union (10-9-7): Fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Satisfaction index: 1 foam finger

In short: There isn’t much to console Philly fans these days. The Union is probably the city’s best chance at a playoff run.

WASHINGTON

Capitals (56-18-8): Lost to Pittsburgh in the second round.

Wizards (41-41): Missed the playoffs.

Nationals (73-53*): First in the NL East.

DC United (6-8-11): Sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Satisfaction index: 2 foam fingers

In short: It’s hard to believe the Capitals haven’t won a Stanley Cup with Alex Ovechkin. Washingtonians can only hope Bryce Harper and the Nationals bring home the hardware.

BOSTON

Bruins (42-31-9): Missed the playoffs.

Celtics (48-34): Lost to Atlanta in the first round.

Red Sox (71-56): Battling Jays atop the American League East.

Revolution (6-11-9): Eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Satisfaction index: 2 foam fingers

In short: Winning has been synonymous with New England teams for so long that the current state of affairs, even with the Red Sox in the playoff mix, is considered disappointing. At least they still have Tom Brady (after that four-game suspension) and the Patriots to look forward to.

CHICAGO

Blackhawks (47-26-9): Lost to St. Louis in the first round.

Bulls (42-40): Missed the playoffs.

Cubs (81-45): First in the NL Central.

White Sox (60-65*): Fourth in the AL Central.

Fire (5-11-8): Ninth in the Eastern Conference.

Satisfaction index: 2 foam fingers

In short: The league-leading Cubs all Chicago has going for it right now, but Blackhawks fans are used to a short break between Stanley Cup wins.

DALLAS

Stars (50-23-9): Lost to St. Louis in the second round.

Mavericks (42-40): Lost to Oklahoma City in the first round.

Rangers (74-53*): First in the AL West.

FC Dallas (13-7-6): First in the Western Conference.

Satisfaction index: 5 foam fingers

In short: Like Toronto, Dallas has had great success of late and both of the city’s winter sports teams made the post-season. Does it get much better than that? Well, yes, but the trophies could very well come.

DENVER

Avalanche (39-39-4): Missed the playoffs.

Nuggets (33-49): Missed the playoffs.

Rockies (60-67): Third in the NL West.

Rapids (11-3-10): Second in the Western Conference.

Satisfaction index: 2 foam fingers

In short: The Rapids are a bright spot in an otherwise dismal year after finishing dead last in the West last season.

LOS ANGELES

Kings (48-28-6): Lost to San Jose in the first round.

Clippers (53-29): Lost to Portland in the first round.

Lakers (17-65): Missed the playoffs.

Dodgers (71-55*): First in the NL West.

Angels (53-73): Last in the AL West.

Galaxy (9-4-12): Fourth in the Western Conference.

Satisfaction index: 2 foam fingers

In short: Fourth place is underperforming for the Galaxy, a perennial MLS powerhouse. The Dodgers better go deep into October.

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